I study the history of science in the early Americas, from Virginia to Potosí. I am especially interested in developing language-centered methods that document the ideas and practices of historically marginalized actors, such as women, Indigenous, and African diasporic knowledge holders in vernacular sciences like mining, metallurgy, and agriculture. For recent articles, please visit my page on academia.edu or ORCID; publications other than articles are below. To talk about independent studies and community-engaged research projects, come see me!

Books

Mining Language: Racial Thinking, Indigenous Knowledge, and Colonial Metallurgy in the Early Modern Iberian World (Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture for the University of North Carolina Press, 2020). Available from UNC and independent, women- and minority-owned bookstores.

• Winner of the 2022 Philip J. Pauly Prize in the History of Science of the Americas (History of Science Society)
• Winner of the 2021 James A. Rawley Prize in Atlantic History (American Historical Association)
• Winner of the 2021 Modern Language Association Prize for a First Book
• Honorable Mention, 2021 Howard F. Cline Memorial Award in Ethnohistory (Conference on Latin American History) 

Edited Volumes

With Thomas Miller Klubock, "Latin American Studies and the Humanities: One Year Later." Latin American Research Review 54.4 (2019): 970-1022. Essays by Hugh Cagle, Jason Oliver Chang, and Eileen J. Findlay.

With Thomas Miller Klubock, “Special Collection: Latin American Studies and the Humanities: Past, Present, Future.” Latin American Research Review 53.3 (2018): 573-580. Essays by Karin Rosemblatt, Jafte Dilean Robles Lomeli and Joanne Rappaport, and Arturo Arias, pp. 581-626.

Public-Facing Scholarship (last 5 years)

Tiago Saraiva, Emily Pawley, Anita Guerrini, Leah Devun, Allison Margaret Bigelow, Tara Nummedal, Robyn D’Avignon, Joshua Nall, Michael Robinson, and Marga Vicedo, “Ten Must-Read Science Histories.” Science, 384.6702 (June 2024): 1292-1298.

“Mining in the History and Social Studies of Science.” Consortium for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine. Conversation with Allison Bigelow, Victor Seow, and Jessica Smith. 1 April 2024. Available from CHSTM, Spotify, Soundcloud, and YouTube.

“Exploring the Popol Vuh with Allison Bigelow and Raf Alvarado.” UVA Data Points, 1 October 2022. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castos, and YouTube.